Improvement in heel-trimming machines



I. VAN NOUHUYS.

Heel-Trimming Machine.

No. 168,540. Patented0ct.5,1875.

m i Z- I I a UNITED STATES ISAAU VAN NOUHUYS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF v PATENT Orrrcrg AND THOMAS 1?. KING, OF SAME PLACE.

lMPROVEMENT IN HEEL-TRIMMING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 168,540. dated October5, 1875; application filed August 2, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IsAAO VAN NOUHUYS,

of Brooklyn, in the county ofKin gs and State of New York, have inventedcertain Improve ments in Machines for Trimming Boot and Shoe Heels; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full,c1ear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accom' panyingdrawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a machine embodying myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3is a section takenin the line :10 0c of Fig. 1.

The principal object of my invention is to dispense with the collarheretofore used on the end' of the cutter-shaft, outside of thecutterhead, and thereby to avoid the inconvenience and injury to thework resulting from the friction of said collar against the upper whilethe cutters are operating upon the heel.

The invention consists, first, in the combination, with the cutter-headand shaft, of a gage-plate of novel construction, and in the mode ofattachment of said plate, as hereinafter described, whereby it may beadjusted Vertically, to provide for trimming heels of various shapes andsizes.

' The invention consists, further, in certain details of construction,arrangement, and combination of devices for feeding the work to and fromthe cutters, and enabling the work to adapt itself to the cutters whilebeing operated upon thereby.

In carrying out my invention I use a cutterhead of any suitableconstruction. As represented in the drawing, the cutter-head B iscarried by a horizontal shaft, 0, having itsv bearings in a frame, D, ofany ordinary construction. In heel-trimming machines in common use theouter end of the cutter-shaft is provided with a collar outside of thecutterhead, which collar serves as a gage and bears against the upper ofthe boot or shoe while the heel is being trimmed. The friction of thiscollar, revolving, as it does, at a very high speed, wears and burns thematerial of the upper and often seriously injures the work,

1 especially when the upper is made of lasting or other light or thinmaterial. To obviate this difficulty, .I dispense with the collarreferred to, andinstead thereof I use a gageplate, G, which may be ofapproximate ovoidal form, as shown in the drawing, or of any othersuitable form. This gage-plate is attached by a screw, 0, to an arm, E,extending from the frame D in a direction parallel with the shaft O. Inthe upper portion of the plate is a slot, f, through which the screw epasses; and in the lower portion is a larger slot,'g, through which thecutter-shaft O passes, and in which it revolves freely. By means of theslots the gage-plate maybe adjusted vertically to provide for trimmingheels of various shapes and sizes, by loosening the screw 0 andarranging the plate at the desired height and again tightening thescrew. When the work is fed up to the cutters the rounded lower edge ofthe gageplate G engages with the seam-between the heel and the upper ofthe shoe a, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The Work is handled in the usualmanner, commencing with the toe of the shoe toward the operator, so thatthe cutters operate first at the frontend of the heel on one side,- andgradually turning the heel until it reaches the reverse position and thecat is completed on the other side of the heel. The gageplate remains inthe seam during the entire operation of trimming the heel, and thusinsures accuracy of cut'and guides the work and prevents itsdisplacement from the cutters.

As the gage-plate doesnot revolve, but remains stationary, and as itdoes not come at all in contact with the upper, all possibility ofwearing, burning, or otherwise injuring the upper, by reason offriction, is entirely avoided.

For feeding the work to and from the cutters, and adjusting it theretoduring the operation, the following-described mechanism may be employedOn the table or platform A, which supports the machine, near the rearside thereof, is a plate, H, arranged to slide :horizontally in ways orguides on said table,

or on a plate attached thereto. The plate H is attached to the table,and its sliding motion is limited by means of screws or bolts 13 passingthrough slots h in the plate, and into or through holes in the table orsuperposed plate. About midway of the plate H is a transverse slot, 72?,in which works an eccent ic, J, attached to a vertical shaft or pivot,having its bearing in the table or superposed plate, and provided with ahandle or lever,

j, for turning it.

enabled to oscillate independently of each other. The sliding plate andattached standards and bars may be called a work carriage or jack. whichhas a tendency to keep the rear ends of the beam depressed and the frontends elevated toward the cutter-head.

The bar L may be provided with notches for the reception of the link, bywhich the weight M is suspended, and said weight may be moved along onsaid bar,'so as to exert more pressure upon one of the oscillating beamsthan the other, when desired.

The bar L is connected by a rod, n, with the rear end of atreadle-lever, 1?, having its fulcrum under the table or platform A, andits front end within easy reach of the foot of the operator, by whichmeans the opera tor is enabled to elevate the rear ends and lower thefront ends of the beams by depressing the treadle P with his foot. Theouter beam K is provided with a center, Q, and the inner beam K isprovided with a stud or pivot, q, for a pattern-plate, R, which may beof any suitable construction, and arranged to operate in connection witha collar, S, on. the cutter-shaft (J in-the usual or any suitablemanner.

The operation of the mechanism above described is as follows: Thetreadle P is depressed so as to lower the front ends of the beams of thecarriage or jack. The patternplate It is attached to the heel of theshoe a, and placed in position on the stud or pivot q, and the work issecured by the center Q. i

The treadle P is released and the operator holds the work with his righthand, and the handle or lever j with his left, moving said lever so asto slide the carriage or jack to the exact position'desired, and thenallowing the work to rise until the rounded lower edge of the gage-plateG enters the seam between the upper and the heel, whereupon the cuttersbegin their work, commencing at the front edge of the heel, as beforedescribed.

On the bar L hangs a weight, M,.

As the work progresses the gage-plate follows any curve or deviationfrom a straight line which may exist in the seam, as the independentarrangement of the two beams of the carriage or jack allows a universalmovement to the work, and enables it to adapt itself automatically tothe cutters and the gage-plate.

If the deviation from a straight line should be very Wide, or if therear part of the heel should be very high, as compared with the sidesthereof, the operator, by means of the handle or lever j, is enabled tomove the jack to the exact position necessary to insure the engagementof the gage-plate with the seam.

By means of this mechanism the work is at all times completely under thecontrol of the operator, and he is enabled to instantly feed the work toand from the cutters, and to so direct the operation as to insure itsaccuracy, and to prevent injury to the portions which are not beingoperated upon.

When the cut is completed the lever is depressed and the shoe removed,and the operation is repeated, as before described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The gage-plate Gr, constructed as herein described, attached to thearmE by a screw, 0, passing through a slot, f, and provided with theslot 9 for the passage of the shaft 0, in combination with the rotarycutter-head and shaft, substantially as and for the purpose herein setforth.

2. The work carriage or jack, having its beams K K arranged to oscillateindependently of each other, whereby the work is enabled toautomatically adapt itself to the cutters and gage-plate, substantiallyas herein described.

3. In combination with the two beams K K of the jack theflexibly-connected crossbar L and adjustable weight M, for varying therelative pressure on the two beams, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the slotted bedplate H of the carriage or jack,of the eccentric J and handle or lever j, substantially as and for thepurpose herein described.

5. The combination of the treadle P, rod n, cross-bar L, and beams orbars KK of the jack and weight M, for feeding the work to and from thecutters, substantially as herein described.

ISAAC VAN NOUHUYS.

- Witnesses:

JAMEs CARROLL, E. WILsoN BLooM.

